Him in the mirror

Li Chuan stood in his bedroom, in front of the mirror. It was an old mirror, with a silver-framed edge that had been weathered by time, leaving it mottled and worn. The glass surface was slightly yellowed, and the reflection it cast was somewhat blurry, as if veiled by a layer of mist. Yet, it stood quietly in the corner of the room, having existed there for years. Li Chuan had lived in this house since he was a child, and it seemed the mirror had always been there, but he had never paid much attention to it—until today. He looked at himself in the mirror: his black hair was slightly messy, his complexion pale, and dark circles lingered faintly under his eyes. He hadn’t been sleeping well for the past few days; his mind was constantly filled with inexplicable, unsettling thoughts. Life seemed to have fallen into a strange loop. Things weren’t going well at work, and his personal life was a mess. It felt like everything had veered off track without him realizing it, and he was powerless to change it. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself. "Maybe I’m just too tired; hallucinations wouldn’t be surprising," he muttered, turning away from the mirror to head to the bed and change out of his clothes. But just as he turned, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that his reflection in the mirror hadn’t moved with him. He froze in place, his heart racing, as a chill ran down his spine. How could this be? Li Chuan stiffly turned back to face the mirror, staring intently at his reflection. The "him" in the mirror stood there, quietly watching him, a faint, eerie smile tugging at the corners of its mouth. Li Chuan’s breath caught. That wasn’t his smile. That expression carried a cold confidence and indifference that chilled him to the bone. "You..." he murmured, his voice trembling. The reflection raised a hand and made a "shush" gesture, its eyes playful yet laced with dangerous intent. Li Chuan staggered back a few steps, his body almost betraying him as he collapsed onto the bed. His mind went blank, all reason and logic collapsing in an instant. Was he going mad? Was the pressure finally causing him to hallucinate? But that smile, that icy confidence, had been far too real. He forced himself to close his eyes, taking a deep breath. Counting to three, he opened them again. The image in the mirror had returned to normal, mimicking his movements and expressions exactly. It was as if what had just happened was nothing more than a figment of his stressed mind. Li Chuan slapped his face gently, trying to shake off those strange thoughts. "You're just tired, really need some rest," he murmured to himself, standing up to head to the bathroom and wash his face. --- At work, it was the same old routine day after day. Li Chuan was an ordinary white-collar worker, mostly handling data analysis and report compilations. Although he didn’t dislike the job, he always felt like something was missing. Deep down, he yearned for something more, something special. But what it was, he couldn’t say. Today, the office atmosphere seemed even more stifling than usual. His colleague, Cheng Hao, was constantly complaining about his project. Cheng Hao was the classic office veteran, slick and smooth in his dealings, adept at avoiding responsibility and passing tasks off to others. Unlike Li Chuan, Cheng Hao knew how to navigate office politics effortlessly and had earned a certain reputation in the department. "Li, I’m telling you, if you want to get ahead in this place, you need to be flexible. You can’t keep being so straight-laced," Cheng Hao leaned on Li Chuan’s desk, shaking his coffee cup with a slight sneer on his lips. "I think doing your job well is what really matters," Li Chuan replied half-heartedly. He knew Cheng Hao’s advice made sense in a way, but such smooth tactics always left a bad taste in his mouth. Cheng Hao chuckled, not surprised by Li Chuan’s response. "Suit yourself. Anyway, I’ve already submitted my report. The boss will probably ask you to revise it." With that, he turned and left. Li Chuan sighed, looking at the pile of unfinished documents on his desk. Cheng Hao, once again, had managed to pass off his responsibilities. He knew that if he didn’t complete the tasks, he’d be the one facing the consequences. Just as he was about to dive back into his work, his phone lit up with an incoming call from Gu Wenting. Gu Wenting was a good friend of Li Chuan’s, cheerful and always joking around, but she was also one of the few people who genuinely cared about him. "Hey, Li Chuan, are you free tonight? Let’s grab a drink; I’ve got something to talk to you about," Gu Wenting’s voice carried a hint of mystery, as if she was hiding something. "Tonight?" Li Chuan glanced at the mountain of paperwork in front of him, hesitating. "I’ve still got a lot to finish. I might have to work late." "Don’t work overtime. You’ve been pushing yourself too hard. I’ve got something important to tell you—it’s about you." She lowered her voice as if keeping a secret. "About me?" Li Chuan asked, puzzled. "What’s so mysterious?" Gu Wenting chuckled, "I’m not telling you now. You’ll see when you get here." And with that, she hung up. Li Chuan shook his head, thinking Gu Wenting was probably up to one of her pranks again. But since it was about him, his curiosity was piqued. --- At 8 PM, Li Chuan arrived at the bar Gu Wenting had suggested. It was a small, unassuming bar, simply decorated with dim lighting, giving off a quiet, low-key vibe. Gu Wenting had already secured a spot in the corner and waved when she saw him enter. "Over here, Li Chuan. I got you your favorite whiskey," she said with a smile, though there was a complicated look in her eyes. "What’s this important thing you wanted to talk about?" Li Chuan asked as he sat down, getting straight to the point. Gu Wenting took a sip of her drink, then fixed her gaze on him, her expression turning serious. "I’ve been thinking... Have you noticed anything strange about yourself recently? Like you don’t feel like yourself anymore?" Li Chuan froze, the old mirror and that eerie smile flashing through his mind. He frowned, "Why are you asking this all of a sudden?" "I only started noticing it recently," she said, setting down her glass. Her voice dropped lower. "A few times, I felt like... how should I say this? Like your behavior was a bit off, as if you’d become someone else. I thought it was just me, but when I asked some of our mutual friends, they felt the same." "Different?" Li Chuan felt a wave of unease. "What do you mean?" Gu Wenting hesitated, seeming to choose her words carefully. "For instance, you’ve always been really by-the-book, taking everything seriously. But lately, you’ve seemed... more confident, more assertive. Even during company meetings, I’ve noticed you’re less willing to compromise than you used to be." A shock ran through Li Chuan. His mind flashed with countless images, and the reflection in the mirror seemed to mock his obliviousness. He couldn’t explain these changes, nor had he even noticed them. "I’m not sure what’s been going on with you, but I think..." Gu Wenting paused, her eyes filled with unease. "Have you encountered something unusual lately?" Li Chuan’s heart tightened. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. The questions in his mind deepened, especially after seeing that smile in the mirror. He had started to doubt whether he was truly changing. "Nothing out of the ordinary," he forced a smile. "Probably just the stress from work; I’ve been a bit off lately." Gu Wenting remained silent for a moment, clearly skeptical, but she didn’t press further. She sighed and raised her glass. "Whatever it is, remember, we’re friends. You can always talk to me. Don’t carry everything by yourself." Li Chuan raised his glass, clinking it gently with hers. The amber liquid shimmered faintly under the dim light. His mind was in turmoil, the reflection’s smile seemingly watching him from a distance. Every detail now filled him with doubt—was he still himself? Or had he unknowingly been overtaken by some unseen force? He took a sip of his drink, the bitter liquid burning as it slid down his throat, much like the questions that tormented him. Perhaps behind the façade of his seemingly calm life, a deeper mystery awaited him to unravel. And the person in the mirror might just be a small piece of that puzzle. As the night deepened and the air grew colder, Li Chuan could sense that his life would never return to how it once was.